Animated films can often be incredibly expensive to make, and anime is no different. For years, 2004’s Steamboy was the most expensive anime film on record at a whopping 20,000,000 dollars.
But since then, the technology used for animation has improved and changed, and the cost of making movies has become much higher, animated or otherwise. It’s no surprise that the production costs of some of the anime films coming out of Japan in the last decade have blown Steamboy out of the water. Here are the top 10 most expensive anime of the 2010s.
10 In This Corner Of The World: $3,750,000
Released in 2016, In This Corner of the World takes place in wartime Japan around the time of the bombing of Hiroshima. The film explores what the country was like at the time of the war, comparing and contrasting it with images of pre-war Japan, with a focus on telling fictional versions of the real-life experiences of people living in the country at the time. This film was actually a crowdfunding success story, managing to make the complete initial amount in order to make the film and also setting a crowdfunding record in Japan.
9 Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’: $5,000,000
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ is the 19th movie in the Dragon Ball franchise. Released in 2015, it is only the second Dragon Ball film, after Battle of Gods, ever to be personally overseen by Akira Toriyama, the creator of the series.
The movie tells the story of Frieza, who comes back to life with the help of the Dragon Balls, and his subsequent training as he seeks to defeat Goku and his friends, who are responsible for his demise. It’s no surprise that the budget was pretty big on a film in a franchise like Dragon Ball, especially when its creator is personally signing off on it.
8 Dragon Ball Super: Broly: $8,500,000
Dragon Ball Super: Broly was one of the most highly anticipated anime films of the decade. Dragon Ball fans swarmed to theaters to see it all over the world. The story, which follows Broly, a Super Saiyan who has lived in self-imposed exile for years on a relatively unpopulated planet and being negatively affected by the moon, which made him into a kind of were-gorilla. He comes to earth to pick a fight with Goku and Vegeta, and the two Super Saiyans have to beat him back with all the strength they have.
7 The Red Turtle: $11,000,000
The Red Turtle was a big talking point in anime films when it came out in 2016. The animation is gorgeous, and there was a lot of talk about its links to Studio Ghibli. Though it’s only co-produced by Ghibli, the film is experimental and artistic in much the same way Ghibli films are.
The story follows a man who is stranded on a desert island and becomes friends with a giant red sea turtle. The film has no dialogue at all, relying on the score and the incredible animation to tell a powerful story.
6 When Marnie Was There: $11,300,000
When Marnie Was There was Studio Ghibli’s last film before they went on hiatus, news of Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement having come the year before. The film follows the story of a young girl who has moved to a small town to live with relatives, and who is seeking an identity. She doesn’t know much about her parents or her origins, and her aunt and uncle don’t have a lot of answers for her. She meets the ghost of a young girl named Marnie, who lives in a rickety abandoned house on the shore, who seems to be connected to her in mysterious ways.
5 From Up On Poppy Hill: $28,000,000
From Up on Poppy Hill is Studio Ghibli’s earliest film in the 2010s, with a 2011 release date. The film, like many of the later Studio Ghibli films, is a drama about two teenagers in 1960s Japan who are working with their friends to try to save an old school club building where they spend time.
On top of that, the film deals directly with the feelings of young people in post-war Japan, with the main characters having to come to terms with the fates of their fathers, who fought in the war.
4 The Wind Rises: $31,000,000
The Wind Rises is considered by many to be Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus. It was the last film he made before he announced his retirement. The story, which follows Jiro Horikoshi, a real-life man who designed airplanes in Japan that were later used for warfare. Jiro is voiced by Hideaki Anno, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The choice of Anno as the voice of the main character seems to be a specific call-out of the themes of the film, which are about the creation of art and technology and the ways that your creations are sometimes used in ways you might not approve of, an idea relevant especially to creators like Miyazaki and Anno.
3 Space Pirate Captain Harlock: $31,000,000
Space Pirate Captain Harlock is a remake of the manga and TV series of the same name, with a slightly altered storyline to reflect more modern themes and make use of the technology available behind the animation. The film came out in 2013 and used CG graphics, a departure from earlier anime styles. Toei Animation, the production company responsible for the making of the film, exceeded the budgets of any of their previous films with this production. There are always mixed reactions with the use of CG animation, and Captain Harlock was no different, receiving lukewarm reviews from critics.
2 Stand By Me Doraemon: $35,000,000
Unsurprisingly, Stand By Me Doraemon is also pretty high up on this list. Like Space Pirate Captain Harlock, this film also used 3D computer-generated graphics, meaning that its production costs were likely much higher than they would have been with a more traditional animation approach. The film combines several Doraemon stories into one complete narrative, and its release was incredibly successful in Japan. It was the second highest-grossing film in Japan in 2014, following only Frozen. The money spent on production costs seems worth it, if the box office gross is anything to go by.
1 The Tale of Princess Kaguya: $53,400,000
It is both surprising and unsurprising that a Studio Ghibli film is at the top of this list. On the one hand, they are responsible for four other entries on the list, making it easy to believe that they could take the top spot for most expensive production. On the other hand, The Tale of Princess Kaguya is entirely hand-drawn, meaning it didn’t have the computer graphics budget that some earlier productions had. The film was the final production directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, who died in 2018.